Panel to Seek $1 Million to Lure Visitors to O.C. : Tourism: State, county and city governments and businesses that benefit would each help pay for an advertising campaign pitched at vacationers.

A panel studying how to promote Orange County as a vacation destination will likely recommend an advertising budget of at least $1 million a year funded equally by government and business, its chairman said Thursday.

The state, county and individual cities would each pay a share, while Orange County businesses that benefit from tourism--from Disneyland to the Crystal Cathedral--would split the rest, said committee chairman Jack Lindquist, retired president of Disneyland.

The funding framework emerged from the Orange County Tourism Steering Committee, formed at the request of Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly and County Supervisors William G. Steiner and Gaddi H. Vasquez to study marketing the county as a whole.

The committee has been looking for a way to compete against such destinations as Las Vegas and San Diego, which spend millions of dollars a year on advertising.

“There is a great deal of enthusiasm in marketing this county as a whole and recognition from all segments that they have to be a part,” Lindquist said.

But who pays how much could be a sticking point. Lindquist said he envisions the private sector’s share being apportioned by industry. Theme parks and attractions, for instance, would probably pay the most because they benefit the most.

A committee would be selected from each industry to determine its fair share and make sure everyone pays up. Lindquist said the campaign will not go forward until an agreement is reached on funding.

All of the money would go for the campaign itself and hiring an advertising agency to design it, Lindquist said. No separate group would be appointed to oversee collection and spending of money, he said. “We don’t want to create another bureaucracy.”

The two county supervisors who have been pushing for a countywide plan said Thursday that they are impressed with the group’s proposal.

“I think it’s something worth exploring,” Vasquez said. “I’m encouraged because it’s a visionary effort that is a public-private partnership.”